Cable connector



c. H. .JENSEN CABLE CONNECTOR Filed Feb. 28, 1941 QN. QN QN NN NN WN. 4

l N V E N TO R Gac/de Jer/s er;

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Patented July 29, 1941 CABLE CONNECTOR Claude H. Jensen, Pittsburgh,Pa., assignor to Copperweld Steel Company, Glassport, Pa., a corporationof Pennsylvania Application February 28, 1941, Serial No. 380,975

4i Claims.

This invention relates to a cable connector, i. e., a device forconnecting two cable ends together or for connecting a single cable endto a dead-end fitting or the like.

So-called compression splicing sleeves have been used heretoforecomprising a copper sleeve adapted to receive cable ends and to bedeformed by a tool having compression jaws, into firm frictionalengagement therewith. The present invention is an improvement overconnectors of this type and the object thereof is to provide a strongergrip between the sleeve and cable ends.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention I utilize a connecting sleeveof copper or copper alloy having bores therein adapted to receive theends of adjacent lengths of cable such as a stranded, transmission-lineconductor. bores in the sleeve are provided with ya preformed liningtube adapted to bite into and form keys with the sleeve and cable endswhen the former is compressed on the latter. The preformed lining tubemay conveniently be of wire mesh, e. g., bronze. The strands of thevmesh embed themselves to a considerable depth in the wall of the borein the connector sleeve and in the surfaces of the cable ends, therebyproviding effective keys tending to prevent the cable ends from pullingout of the sleeve.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description with reference to the accompanyingdrawing illustrating a preferred embodiment and a modification. In thedrawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a connector orsplicing sleeve embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section therethrough taken along the plane ofline II-II of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l showing the cable ends insertedin the connector sleeve;

Figure 4 is an elevation of the end of one of the cables prepared forreceiving an inner sleeve on its center wire or core;

Figure 5 is an end view of the inner core;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section therethrough;

Figure 7 is an elevation of the cable connector after it has beencompressed onto the cable ends by application of a suitable tooll tospaced portions of its length;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view taken along the plane of lineVIII--VIII of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section through a modified form of connectingsleeve adapted to The LEI)

secure a cable end to a dead-end fitting or the like. f

Referring now in detail to the drawing, my connector comprises a tubularmember or sleeve Il) of copper or other easily deformable metal. Thesleeve I0 has a longitudinal bore II therethrough. An interiorcircumferential bead I2 midway of the length of the sleeve provides astop to facilitate properly positioning cable ends in the bore, Apreformed lining tube I3 is inserted in each end of the bore II. Thelining tube is adapted to form keys with the interior of the bore II andthe conductor ends inserted therein on compression of the sleeve aboutthe conductor ends. In a preferred embodiment, the lining tubes I3 arecomposed of wire mesh, although other forms such as perforated sheetmetal or the like may be used. The mesh from which the lining tubes areformed is preferably woven from hard bronze wires or at least wiresrunning in one direction are hard bronze. In the latter case, the liningtubes are so formed that the hard bronze wires are circumferential.

The lining tubes are preferably formed from flat mesh. They need not beaccurately made and it is not necessary that the adjacent edges ofthelongitudinal joint be connected. The lining tubes may conveniently besecured in place by dipping the ends of the sleeve I0 with the liningtubes loosely disposed in the bore I I into a solder pot. The mesh wiresof the lining tubes adjacent the ends of the sleeve I0 are thus solderedto the latter.

If the cables to be connected by the connector have a copper-clad,steel, center wire or core such as that shown at I4, the ends of theouter or copper wires I5 are cut back as shown in Figure 4, so that aninner sleeve I6 may be placed on the extreme end of the core I4. Thesleeve I5 is a relatively hard metal such as hard-drawn bronze and has acentral bore therethrough which is tapped, serrated or otherwise formedto provide sharp edges for biting into the copper sheath on the core I4.The sleeve I6 is slotted longitudinally as at I'I to permit it to becollapsed slightly in order to grip the core I4 tightly.

When the cable ends to be connected, indicated at I8 and I9, have beenprepared as illustrated in Figure 4 and inner sleeves I6 looselydisposed on the cores thereof, they are inserted in the ends of thesleeve I0 Within the lining tubes I3. The connector is then ready forthe application of a suitable compression tool whereby the sleeve l isdeformed and compressed in order to obtain a tight grip on the cableends.

Figure 7 shows the external appearance of the sleeve l0 after theapplication of the gripping jaws of the compression tool to spacedportions of the length thereof. As there illustrated, the exterior ofthe sleeve is actually contracted as at 2l). This contraction of thesleeve about the lining tubes and cable ends causes the wires of theformer to bite into the latter and into the interior of the bore Ilforming keys therewith, whereby the resistance to pulling out of thecable ends from the sleeve is greatly increased as compared to thestrength of the joint obtained by splicing sleeves known heretofore.Inspection of the interior of the sleeve after compressing it and thenopening it up shows that the mesh wires form indentations ofconsiderable depth in both the interior of the sleeve bore and in theexterior surfaces of the cable ends.

In addition to embedding the lining tube in the interior of theconnector sleeve and the exterior of the cable ends, the compression ofthe central portion of the sleeve IG causes the inner sleeves l5 tocontract about the core wires I4. The threads on the interior of thebores through the sleeve i6 bite into the copper sheath on the corewires and the exterior surfaces of the inner sleeves are indented by thewires of the mesh lining tubes in the same manner as the externalsurfaces of the cable ends I8 and I9. The function of the inner sleevesI5 is to transmit the tension to which the cable is subjected from thecore wire of one cable end to the core wire of the other cable endthrough the sleeve I0. is desirable because the core wires of a cablesuch as that shown in section in Figure 8 carry the greater portion ofthe tension load thereon and if a firm grip on the core wires were notobtained, the application of tension to the outer wires would cause themto elongate and slide along the core wires. The cutting back of theouter wires of the cable, as shown in Figure 4, and the use of innersleeves l5 will not be necessary where the core wire ld is of the samematerial as the outer wires l5.

Figure 9 shows a modification whereby the invention may be adapted tosecure a cable end to a dead-end tting, instead of to an adjoining cableend. As shown in Figure 9, a sleeve 2| has a bore adapted to receive acable end 22 and the bore is provided with a preformed lining 23 similarto those shown at I3. The end of the sleeve 2l opposite that in whichthe bore for the cable end is formed is threaded as at 24 forcooperation with a tapped hole in the heads 25 of a clevis 26, or otherform of coupling. The cable end 22 is also provided with an inner sleeveIB This y as in Figure 3. The sleeve 2l shown in Figure 9 is applied andcompressed in the manner already described and functions in the same wayas the sleeve I0 to secure the cable end 22 to the clevis 26 or othersuitable terminal tting.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides animproved cable connector or splicing sleeve of the compression typewhich exhibits greater resistance to pulling out of the cable ends thanthe connecting sleeves previously known. A further advantage of theinvention is the low cost of the lining tube and the ease with which itmay be inserted and secured in the bore through the sleeve.

Although I have illustrated but a preferred form and a singlemodification of the invention, it will be understood that changes indetails may be made Without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cable connector comprising a sleeve bored to receive the end of acable, said sleeve being deformable into gripping engagement with saidcable end, and a lining tube of wire mesh inserted in said bore, thewires of said mesh being adapted to bite into and form keys with saidcable end and sleeve on radial compression of the latter.

2. A cable connector comprising a sleeve bored to receive the end of acable, said sleeve being deformable into gripping engagement with saidcable end, and a lining tube of wire mesh inserted in said bore, saidmesh being composed of a metal harder than that of the sleeve or cableend.

3. A connector for stranded cables having a core, comprising an outersleeve having a bore adapted to receive a cable end, an inner sleevesurrounding the end of the core wire or wires only of said cable andadapted to be inserted with the cable end into said bore, and aseparately formed tubular lining in said bore adapted, on radialcompression of said outer sleeve, to form keys with said outer sleeve,said inner sleeve and said cable end, said inner sleeve being compressedonto the cable core by the compression of the outer sleeve.

4. A cable connector comprising a sleeve bored to receive the end of acable, said sleeve being deformable into gripping engagement with saidcable end, and a preformed lining tube inserted in said bore andsoldered to the sleeve at least adjacent the end thereof and adapted tobe pressed into the cable end and sleeve on radial compression of thelatter, forming keys therewith.

CLAUDE H. JENSEN.

